Dragon Boat Festival: Tradition.

I have been doing a lot of research about the upcoming Dragon boat festival and have learned, through a combination of my Chinese colleagues and the internet, quite a few things about what I should expect. Thought I would share some of the broader traditions and keep you updated on my personal experience after the festival next week...

EAT: The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival is the Zong zi- 粽子. This is a rice ball, with various fillings, that is wrapped in corn, bamboo or reed leaves. The fillings can be egg, bean paste, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed, mixed with rice and wrapped in the green bamboo leaves in a triangular shape, then tied with bright colored string.

PLAY: Dragon Boat races are the most exciting part of the festival, drawing entire towns of spectators. Dragon Boats are generally brightly painted and decorated canoes. Ranging anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in length, their bows are shaped like open-mouthed dragons. Depending on the length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat. A drummer and flag-catcher stand at the front of the boat. Before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be "Brought to Life" by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony. Races can have any number of boats competing, but the winner is the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course.

Recently, dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sport in both Chinese tradition and the modern sporting world. In 1980, it was listed into the state sports competition programs and has been held every year since. (The award is called "Qu Yuan Cup.") Annual races take place all over China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other overseas Chinese communities- Including Denver, CO!

WORK: The day of the week that the festival is held on varies every year. This year (2010) it is a Wednesday.

The day of the festival is a National Holiday and all businesses are closed, but only for the one day of the festival. So if it is in the middle of the week, like this year, then people would not be able to go home for the festival because they would be working the day before and the day after. To solve this, the Government literally “moves the weekend” so that you have Monday and Tuesday off and are able to travel home, pumping more money into the economy. As a result of the “moved weekend” the 2 work days that you have off (Monday and Tuesday) are moved to Saturday and Sunday. So in short, we work on Saturday and Sunday to earn out Monday-Wednesday off. Crazy…

WEAR: During the Festival, parents dress their children with a perfume pouch for luck. They first sew little bags made with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and string them with silk threads. The perfume pouch is hung around the neck or tied to the front of the child’s clothes as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil and bring luck for the coming year. The markets around Beijing have been popping with bright colors from these little bags that are for sale on every street corner- along with zong zi.